578 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c December 20 , issi. 
all of which must be attended to if garden management has to 
be creditable. In some gardens young men are expected to be 
up for hours before the usual time and work all day besides ; 
but with this we do not agree, as gardeners have no more right 
to work more hours than any other class of workmen, nor have 
they any licence to be behind them any or every day. No 
good will ever result from loose habits in time. Our greatest 
factories would soon come to a standstill were their workmen 
as unpunctual as many of those in gardens. In this respect 
we had a grand lesson while employed in Kew Gardens many 
years ago. There the bell was rung punctually at G o’clock a.m., 
the entrance door was kept open for five minutes afterwards, 
when it was closed, and all those shut out had to remain out 
until breakfast time, when a quarter of a day’s pay was de¬ 
ducted from their wages. Defaulters were entered in the book, 
and at the end of the year it was easily seen who were the care¬ 
less men. Deducting the money for time lost besides the black 
mark had a wonderful effect on many, and if this plan were 
more adopted we know of some estates where hundreds of 
pounds would be saved and the management would be better. 
So long as employers have to bear the loss of such conduct 
matters are difficult to improve ; but when a just master deals 
fairly between man and man, and makes those who lose time 
lose the money too, a better lesson is given than all that could 
be spoken or written in any language. In many places fines 
are imposed for leaving tools where they ought not to be, and 
of this we also approve when words have no lasting effect. 
Our remarks have so far mainly applied to gardens where there 
is a number of men employed, but small places do not differ 
from large ones in their general management. Punctuality 
must be observed in them too, and all the other details must 
be adhered to, only on a smaller scale. 
Next in importance to managing the men is arranging the 
work, and this devolves chiefly on those in charge. No person 
should ever be kept waiting and losing time until another job 
is found for him after finishing his last ; indeed, before this 
men should be told where to go next, dividing them if needed, 
according to the work in hand. Much time is often lost in 
having more hands at certain work than there is room for. A 
good manager will see that this never occurs, and the work 
will be done in season and according to weather. In going 
from home sometimes, when it may be fine in the morning, we 
never forget to state what has to be done should it rain. This 
we find forwards the work wonderfully, as doing the dry- 
weather work in dry weather, and wet-weather work when it 
rains, is the means of placing the work generally in an ad¬ 
vanced state. In fact, where a garden is fairly manned, no 
matter wdiether its size may require two or a dozen men, if the 
work is only done according to the weather there need seldom 
be anything behind. Thinking it is not worth while going out 
when it is fair, as it is sure to rain again soon, is not the way. 
Time is then lost which may never be made up in dry weather. 
“ Go in when it is too wet and come out whenever it becomes 
fair," is our order to all; and were it not for such orders as 
this we should want one or two more hands to keep our garden 
in its present state. 
Respecting the proper hours to work in a garden, we think 
ten per day is right, beginning at G o’clock in the morning and 
leaving off at 6 o’clock at night, with one hour for breakfast 
and the same for dinner in summer, or so long as light admits 
of full time being worked ; and when this cannot be done 
work from daylight to dark, with half an hour for breakfast 
and the same for dinner in the shortest days. For long there 
were no short Saturdays in any garden, but now they are rather 
general, and on that day work is given up two hours sooner 
than during the rest of the week. To those who do their work 
propemy no one will grudge this ; in fact, really deserving men 
we always like to treat liberally in this matter, allowing them 
a day now and again as it is -wanted and can be spared, and 
not being too hard in stopping every hour off their wages 
which they might chance to lose through sickness ; but it is 
only those who try to make up for this time when they are at 
work that we treat in this manner. Shirkers and those who 
will not do five minutes’ important work after their hours are 
up are dealt with after their own ideas. This is how most 
gardeners with numbers under them treat their men, and it is 
generally how amateurs with only one gardener treat him. 
In dealing with a number of men their different characters 
and dispositions are soon apparent, and work should be arranged 
accordingly. Two or more who are known to be inclined to bo 
talkers should be put together as little as possible. An indus¬ 
trious man and one of the above kind will do better. Men 
should never be put to do boys’ or women’s work, if such are 
kept. The most able-bodied should always be given the 
heaviest work, and the most experienced should do the parti¬ 
cular things. Trying how well and how quick everything can 
be done is our frequent advice. A thorough interest in all that 
is done will make everything light and pleasing. Fancy jobs 
do not need doing daily. Rough work is enjoyable enough if 
only done in proper weather, which will always be the case if 
everything is well managed. 
In small gardens it often happens that there are one, two, or 
more old men and women employed through the kindness of 
the owner. This is very commendable ; but when such are 
not qualified to do a full and reasonable day’s work, as is often 
the case, this fact should be taken into consideration when the 
gardener’s doings are being spoken of. One garden with three 
young men might be better kept than another with four or five 
old ones, but it is hardly fair to consider them man for man. 
Where there are numbers employed there is generally 
jealousy, some men thinking that others are getting easier work 
than they, or are taken more notice of by the heads, and in 
many cases this may be so, as we can say personally that those 
men who always try to do most for us are most esteemed and 
most favoured ; but it is simply from their work and actions we 
judge them and favour them. This is the case generally ; so 
that those who may think they are not getting justice have 
only themselves to blame for it as a rule. Everyone who has 
work to do knows too well the advantage of having a person 
who will do it thoroughly in every sense of the word, to value 
their services lightly or treat them differently from what they 
merit. 
In conclusion I may just briefly repeat what cannot be too 
much impressed on the minds of all—that loose ways, inatten¬ 
tions, and every description of irregularities and deceptions, 
whether they be small or great, all directly detract from good 
management in all gardens ; and those who indulge in them, 
whether they be master or man, may rest assured that, although 
they may pass unnoticed and unchecked for a time, they will 
only lead to their own loss of character, place, and esteem.— 
M. M. 
ARRANGING PLANTS FOR EFFECT. 
Owing to a certain extent to what has been carried out at the 
metropolitan and provincial shows of late years, a revolution has 
been effected in the art of arranging plants. The orthodox much 
crowded, much mixed, and very neat arrangements seem now to 
be giving way to a lighter, less mixed, and more natural disposi¬ 
tion of plants. We get into a certain habit, however ; and although 
we see and read of superior methods it does not always enter into 
our heads to reform, until perhaps a friend, for friend he or she is, 
upsets all our preconceived notions of what is best to be done 
under the circumstances. This was what not so very long since 
occurred to me. Our conservatory was set out, and, as I thought, 
the best had been done with the materials at hand. My “ eye 
opener ” soon convinced me of our mistake. It was much too 
flat to please him, especially as the house was tall, being built, 
like so many similar structures, more with regard to external 
than internal effect. Tall plants we were short of ; but says he, 
“ Why don’t you elevate the most suitable you have at intervals 
on flower pots and arrange the others up to and around them ?” 
We did so, making them central plants of groups, thus forming 
an irregular, higher, and more effective arrangement. 
Critics tell us one colour “kills” another, and no doubt they 
are correct ; but if each bright colour is arranged in groups, and 
these groups divided with the negative white, there is less fear of 
offending particular tastes, and the general effect is enhanced. 
That I am not alone in this idea is very evident from the enco¬ 
miums passed on the conservatory here as lately arranged, and I 
also find a much-respected neighbouring gardener was in no way 
overcome by my discovery, having practised it for some time. To 
further illustrate my argument I will briefly describe the above 
arrangement, merely adding that we did the best with materials 
